5 WWE Superstars who debuted as fans

#4 Zach Gowen

Soon after WrestleMania 19 was done, Mr. McMahon fired Hulk Hogan, who had defeated his boss at The Showcase of the Immortals. Hogan returned as Mr. America, donning a mask this time. He engaged in a feud with Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire. Piper was hell-bent on revealing the true identity of Mr. America in front of the entire WWE Universe.

On an episode of The Piper's Pit, Piper and O'Haire launched a brutal attack on Mr. America. The beating was so severe that it rendered the babyface unconscious. It gave Piper an opportunity to unmask the hero, but suddenly a young fan came into the ring to aid Mr. America. The villains attacked him too and Piper pulled off his prosthetic leg in the process, to the fans' astonishment. This is how Zach Gowen made his WWE debut, before a short stint on The Blue Brand.

Also read: John Cena teases SmackDown return via cryptic photo

#3 Earthquake

Dubbed as one of the most destructive forces of his era, Earthquake debuted in WWE as a fan in November 1989. A strength contest was held between The Ultimate Warrior and Dino Bravo. Bravo's manager, Jimmy Hart, decided to select a fan from the audience and let him sit on the Superstars' backs while they performed push-ups.

Bravo successfully performed the impressive feat, but Warrior was attacked by the 'fan' before he could show off his own raw strength. The fan was a part of Hart's ploy to put down Warrior, and thus Earthquake debuted in WWE.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

Know More

Edited by Michael McClead